Christ; that he appeared in Judea in the reign of Tiberius; that he taught a system of morals superior to any inculcated in the Jewish schools; that be was crucified at Jerusalem; and that Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor by whose sentence he was condemned and executed, are facts which no one can reasonably call in question. The most inveterate Deists admit them without difficulty. And, indeed, to dispute these facts would be giving the lie to all history. As well might we deny the existence of Cicero, as that of a person by the name of Jesus Christ. And, with equal propriety might we call in question the orations of the former, as the discourses of the latter. We are morally certain that the one entertained the Romans with eloquence, and that the other enlightened the Jews with his wisdom. But it is unnecessary to labour these points, because they are generally conceded. They who affect to despise the Evangelists and Apostles, profess to reverence Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny. And these eminent Romans bear testimony to several particulars which relate to the person of Jesus Christ, his influence as the founder of a sect, and his crucifixion. From a deference to human authority, all therefore acknowledge that the Christian religion derived its name from Jesus Christ. And many among the Deists are so just to its merits, as to admit that he taught better than Confucius, and practised better than Socrates or Plato.

But, I confess, my creed embraces many more articles. I believe that Jesus Christ was not only a teacher of virtue, but that he had a special commission to teach. I believe that his doctrines are not the work of human reason, but divine communications to mankind. I believe that he was authorized by God to proclaim forgiveness to the penitent; and to rẹveal a state of immortal glory and blessedness to those who fear God, and work righteousness. I be

lieve, in short, the whole evangelic history, and of consequence the divine original of Christianity, and the sacred authority of the Gospel. Others may reject these things, as the fictions of human art or policy; but I assent to them, from a full conviction of their truth. The grounds of this conviction I shall assign in the course of this work. And I shall undertake to show, why the objections of infidelity, though they have often shocked my feelings, have never yet shaken faith.

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To come then to the question: WHY ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?

I answer, because the Christian religion carries with it internal marks of its truth; because not only without the aid, but in opposition to the civil authority, in opposition to the wit, the argument, and violence of its enemies, it made its way and gained an establishment in the world; because it exhibits the accomplishment of some prophecies, and presents others which bespeak not merely a superior but a divine character. Upon these several facts I ground my belief as a Christian. And, till the evidence on which they rest can be invalidated by counter-evidence, I must retain my principles and my profession.

First; I am a Christian, because the intrinsic excellency of Christianity points it out as a system worthy of my belief; because the laws which it prescribes, the spirit which it breathes, and the discoveries which it makes, are so admirably suited to the constitution and circumstances of man, that I cannot reject it. The writings of the Evangelists or Apostles pour contempt upon superstitious practices, and lead us to ascribe no value to any works but those of true piety and virtue. They teach us to worship God in spirit and in truth; to love him supremely, to be grateful for his favours, and resigned to his dispensations; to trust in his mercy, and rejoice in his government. They teach us to dismiss all

anxious cares and apprehensions; and, having employed the means which infinite wisdom has appointed, to leave the event with infinite goodness. They teach us to love our neighbour as ourselves; to forgive him when he has injured us; to bear with his infirmities, and to excuse his follies; to weep with him in his distresses; when he is in want to afford him our assistance; and to do to him as we should think it fit and reasonable that he should do to us. They teach us to love even our enemies, so far at least as to abstain from revenge, and to render them offices of kindness when their circumstances call for commiseration. They teach us to govern our appetites and passions, to be chaste, humble, temperate, pure, and as much as possible to be like our Father in heaven, whose character is an assemblage of every natural and moral perfection. They teach children to reverence and obey their parents; and parents to love, instruct, and provide for their children. They teach the husband conjugal fidelity and affection; and the wife the peculiar duties of her station, and the amiable virtues which adorn the sex, and bless the marriage union. They teach masters lenity, and servants faithfulness. They teach rulers to exercise their authority for the public good; and persons in private life not to withhold honour and submission from those under whose wise and just administration they lead quiet and peaceable lives. In a word, the affluent and the poor, the prosperous and the afflicted, the aged and the young, may all find their duty in the sacred books. And the duties there enjoined are such as the enlightened reason of every man must approve.

Combining the doctrines and precepts of Christianity, I am lead, then, to infer from them the truth of the system. Because the former are so inportant and the latter so beneficial; because the doctrines of Christ tend to make us so wise, and his

laws so good; I am, in a manner, compelled to receive them as divine. Such is their supreme excellence, that I must ascend to heaven for an adequate cause. I assent, therefore, most unfeignedly, to those words of our Saviour: 'My doctrine is not mine, but his who sent me.' And I do assert, were there no other evidence, that our religion is from God, it would be more reasonable to admit its claims to a divine original than to reject them.

Having laid this solid foundation of religious knowledge, I will hereafter proceed to other subjects.

LETTER XIX.

Language-Grammar.

MY DEAR CHIldren,

The most ordinary and most usual acquirement in this age of the world, is the art of reading and writing; yet there were times in the most refined countries, and there are countries even in our own age, where these are unknown, and treated as miraculous. To invent characters or letters which, in combination, should express every idea and sentiment, was the happiest conception that ever entered the head of man. But it is a system brought to maturity only by slow steps, and many generations passed away in the use of the first steps without their suspecting the improvements which were to be made on them.

Even language itself, as uttered by the voice, is a most wonderful invention, and to bring it to useful perfection required many centuries in every nation. Every nation was originally what the savage tribes of Asia, Africa, and America, are now. Their vocabulary or dictionary consisted

only of a few hundred sounds, which named the most common things; with which they combined certain ejaculations of pain, pleasure, fear, and the like. These names of things we call NOUNS, and the ejaculations, INTERJECTIONS; or parts of speech: and nouns and interjections are, in truth, the primitive parts of speech, or the two original classes of words, in all languages.

But as other ideas required to be communicated, besides names and passions, so other classes of words were gradually invented. It soon became necessary to describe motions and actions, and hence another class of words was soon invented, called VERB, as run, walk, fly, swim, love, fight, &c. &c. Qualities of nouns called adnouns or adjectives, as good or bad, tall or short; and degrees of action or qualities of verbs, as quickly, slowly, &c. became two other classes. Relative positions of nouns, as to a tree, or from a tree, or over or under a tree, formed a necessary sixth class, called PREPOSITIONS. Thus all languages are founded on nature and external circumstances; and after a few generations, the lowest tribes have their NOUNS, or names of things-their INTERJECTIONS of sudden feelingtheir VERBS of action or motion-their ADJECTIVES qualifying nouns-their ADVERBS, qualifying verbs and their particles or prepositions, expressive of the relations of nouns to the speaker, or to one another.

Nor need we go to savage tribes and distant ages of the world, to ascertain the origin and progression of language, for such is the mode by which it is always displayed in the nursery. We begin as infants, with INTERJECTIONS, before we can utter complex sounds-we then call things by their names; and we procced, step by step, till we can use the six parts of speech, and express by them our wants, wishes, and feelings. Such is the analysis of the mechanism of language, constantly used E